Serving mechanism



April 12, 1960 Filed May 27. 1958 D. R. VERSHBOW 2,932,404

SERVING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet l Iuvezatoat- Dwa'eZ ll. Vea'isfiom yKENWAY, JENNEY, WHTER & HILDRETH APril 1960 D. R. VERSHBOW 2,932,404

SERVING MECHANISM Fild May 27, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1530832308 DanielB. Veawouz a? IBIUAY. IENNEY. WITTER & HILDRETH have United StatesPatent Cfiice snnvmo MECHANISM Daniel R. Vershbow, Newton, Mass.,assignor to Serv-O- Lift Corporation, Boston, Mass., a corporation ofMassachusetts This invention relates to serving mechanism including avertically movable carrier adapted to support a supply 7 of articlessuch as dishes, table utensils, trays and the like, together withself-leveling means for automatically maintaining the articles at aconstant and efficient dispensing level as the top articles are removedfrom the carrier, the mechanism being adjustable for articles of variousunit weights. Such mechanism requires the employment of resilient meansconstantly urging the carrier upwardly, at an adjustable rate, tocompensate for the articles removed and the employment of such meanswithin the vertical space permitted frequently presents a considerableproblem. The primary object of the invention herein resides in theproduction of novel and compact mechanism for solving this problem.

More specifically the invention embodies a rotary drum together withflexible cable means connected at one end to the drum and at its otherend to the carrier and so disposed on and about the drum that rotationof the drum in one direction raises the carrier and rotation thereof inthe other direction lowers the carrier. Cooperating resilient meanstogether with a cable connected to and disposed on and about a smallerdrum fixed coaxially to the first named drum and forming a double drumtherewith is adapted normally to effect raising movement of the carrier.In the preferred form of the invention two such double drums areprovided, the carrier and resilient means being directly connectedrespectively to the larger drum and the smaller drums being connectedtogether by means including cables connected to and disposed on andabout such drums. The mechanism furthermore preferably includes meansfor varying the ratio of the driving connection between the smallerdrums. The construction permits such compact arrangement of the parts assubstantially to reduce thevertical space otherwise required in theserving unit. The production of novel and improved serving mechanism ofthis nature and for the purpose described comprises a further object ofthe invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of aserving unit embodying the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating operatingmechanism within the unit.

The serving unit illustrated in the drawings comprises a hollow base 10from which rises a vertical housing 11, the base and housingconstituting the supporting frame of the serving tmit. A carrier 12extends through two vertical slots 14 into the housing and projectstherefrom horizontally in cantilever fashion over the base 10. Thecarrier is fixed to two plates 15 within the housing and two rollers 16on each plate ride vertically within a guideway 18 in the housing, thussupporting the carrier in horizontal position. The carrier is suspendedby two cables 19 and 20 secured thereto and extending upwardly over2,932,404 Patented Apr. 12, 1960 sheaves 21 and 22 respectively. Fromthence the cables extend partially about and are anchored to a drum 24.

The drum is constantly biased to rotate in clockwise direction (Fig. 2)and thereby counterbalance the weight of the carrier and tend to elevateit, all as illustrated in Fig. 2 and hereinafter described.

The drum 24 together with a smaller drum 25 are fixed to a shaft 26within the housing. Two like large and small drums 28 and 29 arerotatably mounted in the housing beneath the drums 24-25. Between thedrums 24-25 and 28-29 within the housing 11 is a hollow, bottom-slottedarm 30 including a threaded rod 32 connected at one end by a universaljoint 33 to a stub shaft 34 rotatably mounted in the housing. The rod isjournaled at its ends in the arm and has a nut 36 threaded thereto andextending downwardly and outwardly at 38 anchored to the portion 38 ofthe nut extend downwardly and are wrapped partially drum 29.

The drums 28-29 are constantly biased anti-clockwise (Fig. 2) by thefollowing described resilient means mounted within the base 10. A pairof tension springs 44 are anchored at one end each to the base at 46.Cables 48 connected to the other ends of the springs extend over sheaves50 and from thence are connected to a yoke 52. A cable 54 connected tothe yoke extends over a sheave 56 and from thence it is wrappedpartially about and anchored to the drum 28.

It will now be apparent that the springs 44 constantly bias the drums28-29 to rotate anti-clockwise. This action operating through the cables42 places a constant downward pull on the arm 30 which functioningthrough the cables 40 places a constant clockwise biason the drums24-25. Thus the springs are adapted to counterbalance the weight of thecarrier 12 together with its load. The placing of a load on the carrierwill cause it to descend. In order to compensate for increased load uponthe carrier and counterbalance it to the desired dispensing position,the operator has only to rotate the shaft 34 as by means of the handle58. Such rotation advances the nut 36 in one direction or the otheralong the arm 30. When compensating for increased load the nut will beadvanced in a direction away from the pivot 33, thus increasing theeffective down pull of the cables 42 on the drum 24 and rasing thecarrier. As will also be about and anchored to the apparent, the novelmechanism provides such compact arrangement of the parts assubstantially to reduce the vertical space otherwise required in theserving unit.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. Serving mechanism comprising in combination a frame, a carriersupported for vertical movement in the frame, a drum rotatably mountedin the frame, flexible cable means connected to the carrier and soanchored to and variably stored on the drum that rotation of the drum inone direction raises the carrier and rotation thereof in the otherdirection lowers the carrier, a second drum rotatably mounted in theframe beneath the first drum, means other than said cable meansrotatably connecting the drums, and means including resilient meansnormally operative on the second drum to rotate it and the first drum indirections to raise the carrier.

2. The serving mechanism defined in claim 1 in which said meansrotatably connecting the drums includes means the rotary axes of thedrums that pivotal movement of the arm effects rotation of the drums.

4. The serving mechanism as defined in claim 3 in which the connectionfrom one of the drums to thearm includes a member adjustable along thearm.

' 5. The serving mechanism defined in claim smaller drum fixed to andcoaxial'with one of the first named drums, said means rotatablyconnecting the drums including a cable anchored to and variably storedon and about the smaller drum.

6. The serving mechanism defined in claim 5 plus a second smaller drumfixed to and coaxial with the other of the first named drums, said meansrotatably connecting the drums including a cable anchored to andvariably stored on and about the second smaller drum. n p

7. The serving mechanism defined in claim 6 in which said meansrotatably connecting the drums includes means disposed between the twosmaller drumsfor varying the amount of cable pull applied from thesecond smaller drum to the first smaller drum.

8. Serving mechanism comprising in combination, a

frame, a carrier supported for vertical movement in the frame, a drumrotatably mounted in the frame, flexible cable means connected to thecarrier and so anchored to and variably stored on the drum that rotationof the drum in one direction raises the carrier and rotation thereof inthe other direction lowers the carrier, a smaller drum fixed to andcoaxial with the first named drum, a cable anchored to and variablystored on and about the smaller 1 drum, and resilient means connected tothe last named cable and normally operative therethrough to rotate thedrums in' a direction to raise the carrier.

9; The serving mechanism defined in claim 8 plus means between andconnected to the resilientmeans and cable for varying the drum rotatingpull of the resilient means on the cable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,251,87 3 Gibbs Aug. '5, 1941 2,601,295 Jensen June 24, 1952 2,812,104Larsen Nov. 5, 1957

